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A fire early today in a southwest Lawrence mobile home left a young Lawrence boy in critical condition at a Kansas City hospital and sent a firefighter to Lawrence Memorial Hospital with a dislocated ankle.

After being rescued about 7:30 a.m. by Lawrence firefighters from a north bedroom of the home, Fox was taken by Douglas County paramedics to Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

He then was taken by Life Flight helicopter to the Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan., where he was listed in critical condition this afternoon in the intensive care unit.

Firefighter Clifford Smith was listed in fair condition early this afternoon at LMH, where he was being treated for a severe dislocation of the right ankle. Lawrence Fire Chief Jim McSwain said Smith was walking on a porch when he became entangled in hoses and fell down.

McSwain said Smith was in severe pain and said "it's going to be a while before he gets back on the job."

McSwain said firefighters were called at 7:14 a.m. to the mobile home, and the first crew arrived at 7:19 a.m.

Before firefighters arrived, two women and a girl who live in the park had helped a woman and a younger child escape from the mobile home.

One of the rescuers, Kay Sanders, said she was on her way home after taking her daughter to school when she saw smoke coming from the mobile home.

"I just tore open the door," she said. "I saw a chain on it, so I knew somebody was in there." She kicked in the door and went inside.

Sanders said the woman crawled out of a north bedroom window. She said the woman told her that her two sons were still inside.

"When I heard that, I went back in and started yelling for them," she said.